Audio Samples

In the course of interviewing people for DARE, Fieldworkers asked them if they would be willing to be recorded, on any topic they wished to talk about, and if they would read the passage "Arthur the Rat." Over 1,800 agreed to one or both. These recordings, made on reel-to-reel machines, give a snapshot of daily life in the years 1965 to 1970, as well as local history and other topics. We've posted here one composite recording of "Arthur," which will soon be followed by several complete recordings from different parts of the U.S. There are also audio clips of two- to four-minute segments on several different topics. These are listed by state below.

American Languages: Our Nation's Many Voices Online: We worked with the Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures and the Max Kade Institute here in Madison to post segments of our DARE audio interviews. Segments from 31 states were posted. Go to English Dialects.